Tripura chief minister Manik Saha filed his nomination papers from the Town Bardowali assembly segment on Monday, hours before the deadline for filing papers for the assembly elections scheduled for February 16.
Saha was accompanied by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) northeast coordinator Sambit Patra was also present.
“Today filed nomination as a BJP candidate from Town Bordowali seat in presence of Hon Assam CM Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma Ji, Hon Manipur CM N. Biren Singh Ji & Dr. Sambit Patra ji. Thousands of Karyakartas accompanied me before filing the nomination. I am sure that BJP will secure a spectacular win,” Saha said in a post on Twitter.
The BJP has fielded candidates on 55 out of 60 assembly seats, leaving the remaining five seats for its alliance partner Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).
Saha, who is leading the coalition’s effort to return to power for the second time, replaced Biplab Kumar Deb as chief minister in May last year. He first won the Town Bardowali seat in the by-election held in June last year, defeating Asish Kumar Saha of the Congress.
The June 2022 by-election was necessitated after Asish Kumar Saha, who won the seat on a BJP ticket in 2018, exited the BJP and sought re-election on a Congress ticket.
